Universal watcher that runs commands when files change
Entr
Run arbitrary commands when files change
About Entr
A utility for running arbitrary commands when files change, watching a list of files and executing a command on modification, commonly used for rebuilding, testing and live-reload workflows. It is free and open source, so teams can self-host it, inspect the code and adapt it to their own infrastructure without licence fees or vendor lock-in. Typical users run it alongside existing workflows to cut manual effort, improve visibility and keep full control over data, configuration and upgrades over time.
Entr key facts
- Category: Developer Tools
- Pricing: Free — listed in this directory as a free tool, with no paid plan required to use it.
- Focus areas: file watching, automation, cli, development
- Official site: eradman.com
About the Developer Tools category
Editors, platforms, and services developers rely on to build and ship software. The Developer Tools category on Tools Hub currently lists 738 tools. Alongside Entr, it includes Watchexec, Just, Task, Podman.
More in Developer Tools
Comparing tools in the Developer Tools category? These related listings are worth a look: Watchexec — Universal watcher that runs commands when files change; Just — Command runner that saves project-specific commands in a justfile; Task — Task runner and build tool using YAML taskfiles.
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